A Progressive Web App, or PWA, is an emerging type of software application that is implemented as one or more web pages (i.e., a website) rendered in a standard web browser, but leverages recent advances in web development technologies to present, via the web browser, an application user interface (UI) that is very similar in look, feel, and behavior to a native desktop or mobile application. In order for a website to function as a PWA, the website must generally include two components: a web app manifest and a service worker. The web app manifest is a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) text file that provides information about the PWA such as application name, author, icon, description, and so on. The service worker is a JavaScript file/code segment that enables certain PWA features such as push notifications, resource caching, and offline access to application content.
Because PWAs are essentially websites, users are generally limited to finding and running PWAs via their web browsers. Accordingly, it would be useful to have techniques that provide users greater flexibility with respect to PWA discovery and access.